The Kharkov Entomological Society Gazette 2002(2003) V10 (1-2) P. 99-107 SPIDER FAUNA (ARANEI) AND ASSEMBLAGES OF THE "YAMSKAYA STEPPE" NATURE RESERVE (BELGOROD AREA, RUSSIA) N. Yu. Polchaninova Kharkov National University, Ukraine polchaninva@mail. ru Introduction The fauna inventory in nature reserves has always been a topical issue. It is especially impor- tant in the steppe reserves that are the only places where the virgin steppes have been preserved. Until recently, the araneofauna of European meadow steppes has not been investigated evenly. The most complete data is given for the "Streletskaya Steppe" (Pichka, 1984 a,b; Polchaninova, 2003) where 160 species were recorded. 84 species are known for the "Kazatskaya Steppe" (Pol- chaninova, 2002) – both parts of the Central-Chermozyom reserve, Kursk Area. The first spider sampling in the "Yamskaya Steppe" was carried out by the members of the Club of young zoolo- gists of Kharkov Pioneer Palace in 1981-1982. The material was identified by the author, and 51 spider species were discovered (Yakushenko at all, 1984). Spiders, as numerous and diverse component of steppe biota, serve a suitable object for monitoring a state of animal communities of various habitats under the influence of different conservation managements. Material and Methods The "Yamskaya Steppe" is part of the "Belogorye" Nature Reserve and is situated in the Central Forest-Steppe in the Central Russian upland (Milkov, 1950). The main part of its terri- tory is occupied by meadow steppe, oak forest being located in a ravine. The steppe is divided into several parts with different mowing regime. There are un-mowed (i.e. strictly protected), periodically mowed and annually mowed plots. We designated those as UMS, PMS and AMS, respectively. PMS-1 was not mowed in 2000-2002, PMS-2 was mowed in that period, PMS-3 was not mowed only in 2002. UMS-1, PMS-1, PMS-2 are situated on the plateau, UMS-2 occu- pies the plateau and the upper part of a ravine neibouring with an oak forest belt, PMS-3 lies on the north – facing ravine slope and in the bottom. The material was collected in May-September 2001– 2002 by conventional methods: net sweeping, pitfall traps, quadrate sampling, and hand collecting. The total of 12.990 individuals represented 154 spider species from 18 families were collected. To this list, Eresus niger Oliv. (Eresidae) should be added. It was found by A.V. Prissy on achalk slope (personal communication). The list is given according to Mikhailov, 1997. Results and Discussion Linyphiidae family is prevailing among the spiders inhabiting "Yamskaya Steppe" reserve. That is typical of the most of local faunas in the forest-steppe. Theridiidae and Araneidae are nearly twice as poor, 4 families account for 8-10%, and the others make up only 1-3% (table 1). Such a hierarchical structure is determined by Linyphiidae occurring in a forest ravine. In the un- mowed steppe the role of Linyphiidae is lower, and in the mowed one it falls out of the dominant complex. In the steppe habitats, there is no significant difference in number of dominant fami- lies. In UMS this complex consists of Linyphiidae, Theridiidae, Araneidae, Lycosidae, in PMS the first two families are replaced by Gnaphosidae and Theridiidae. Table1. Species composition of spider families if forest and steppe habitats. N – species number Steppe Forest ravine glades. under the Total Families Un-mowed mowed Total Total forest edges canopy N % N % N % N % N % N % N % MIMETIDAE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 THERIDIIDAE 13 15 6 8 14 13 6 6 8 12 8 7 19 12 LINYPHIIDAE 16 17 5 8 17 16 24 23 24 35 31 26 35 23 TETRAGNATHIDAE 1 1 0 0 1 1 4 4 4 6 4 3 5 3 ARANEIDAE 12 14 10 13 12 12 16 15 6 9 16 14 18 12 LYCOSIDAE 9 10 11 15 12 12 8 8 5 7 9 8 12 8 PISAURIDAE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 AGELENIDAE 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 HAHNIIDAE 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 DICTYNIDAE 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 LIOCRANIDAE 3 3 1 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 2 2 3 2 CLUBIONIDAE 3 3 4 5 4 4 3 3 1 1 3 3 5 3 GNAPHOSIDAE 7 8 11 15 11 11 11 10 2 3 11 9 15 10 ZORIDAE 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 HETEROPODIDAE 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 PHILODROMIDAE 3 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 1 1 4 3 5 3 THOMISIDAE 6 7 9 12 9 9 9 8 5 7 10 8 13 8 SALTICIDAE 8 9 7 9 10 10 9 8 5 7 10 8 13 8 Species in total 89 100 75 100 104 100 106 100 68 100 118 100 154 100 Nearly all species found are characterized by wide areas. These are holarctic, palearctic, west-central palearctic and European species. It is worth mentioning finds of a Eurasian steppe species Gnaphosa taurica and trans-Eurasian subboreal Eresus niger that are rare for the forest- steppe. Araneofauna of forest habitats is always a little richer than that of steppe ones. 118 spider species were found in the forest ravine while 104 species occurred on the steppe plots. As in all investigated nature reserves, spider species composition is more diverse in un-mowed steppe than in mowed one. However we did not find any species associated with the UMS only (here and further single finds are not considered under in the analysis of habitat distribution). An in- crease of species diversity is stipulated by the presence of forest elements that can survive in more stable and moist conditions of UMS. Ta b l e 2 . Habitat distribution of the spiders of ‘Yamskaya steppe’ Abbreviation: 1- species, 2 - UMS, 3 - PMS-1, 4 - PMS-2, 5 – ravine bottoms, 6 - belt of oak trees , 7 - edges of forest ravines, 8 - glades, 9 – forest, under the canopy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 MIMETIDAE Ero furcata Villers + + – – – – + – THERIDIIDAE Achaearanea lunata (Cl.) – – – – – – – + A. simulans (Thor.) + – – – – – – + Crustulina guttata (Wider) + – – – + + + + C. sticta (O. P.-C.) – + – – – – – – Dipoena tristis (Hahn) + – – – – – – – Enoplognatha latimana Hippa et + – – – – – – – E. ovata (Cl.) + – – – + + + + Episinus angulatus (Bl.) + – – – – – – – Euryopis flavomaculata (C. L.K.) + + + + + + + + Robertus arundineti (O. P.-C.) + – – – – – – – R. lividus (Bl.) + + – – – – – – Steatoda bipunctata (L.) * – – – – – – – – S. castanea (Cl.) * – – – – – – – – S. phalerata (Panzer) – + + – – – – – Theridion bimaculatum (L.) + + + + + + + + T. impressum L. K. + + + + + + + + T. mystaceum L. K. + – – – – – – – T. pinastri L. K. + – – – – – – – T. varians (Hahn) – – – – – + + + LINYPHIIDAE Abacoproeces saltuum (L. K.) – – – – – + – + Agyneta rurestris (C. L. K.) + + + – – – – + A. saxatilis (Bl.)1 – + – – – – – – Centromerus incilium (L. K.) + – – – – – – – C. sylvaticus (Bl.) – – – – + – – + Ceratinella brevis (Wider) + – – – – + – + C. scabrosa (O. P.-C.) – – – – – – + + Ceratinopsis stativa (Sim.) – – – – – + – – Diplocephalus picinus (Bl.) + – – – + – – + Diplostyla concolor (Wider) – – – – – – + + Entelecara flavipes (Bl.) + – – – + + + – Erigone dentipalpis (Wider) + – – – – – – – Floronia bucculenta (Cl.) – – – – – + + + Gonatium paradoxum (L.K.) + – – – + + + + Gongylidium rufipes (L.) + – – – – + + + Helophora insignis (Bl.) – – – – – – – + Hylyphantes nigritus (Sim.) – – – – + + + + Lepthyphanthes flavipes (Bl.) – – – – – – – + Linyphia hortensis Sund. – – – – + – + + L. tenuipalpis Sim. – – – – + + – – L. triangularis (Cl.) + – – – + + + + Macrargus multessimus (O. P.-C.) – – – – – – – + Maso sundevalli (Westr.) – – – – + + + + Microlinyphia pusilla (Sund.) + + + + – – + – Microneta viaria (Bl.) – – – + + + + + Minicia marginella (Wider) + – – – – + – + Neriene clathrata (Sund.) + – – + + + + + Oedpthorax apicatus (Bl.) + – – – – – – – Pelecopsis radicicola (L. K.) – – – – – – + – Stemonyphantes lineatus (L.) + + + – – + – – Trematocephalus cristatus – – – + – + – – (Wider) Troxochrus scabriculus (Westr.) – – – – – + + + Walckenaeria atrotibialis O. P.-C. + – – – – – – – Walckenaeria furcillata (Mg.) – – – – – – – + W. nudipalpis (Westr.) – – – – – – + + 2 Micryphantinae gen. sp. 1 + + + – + + + + TETRAGNATHIDAE Metellina segmentata (Cl.) + – – – + + + + Pachygnatha degeeri Sund. – – – + – – – – P. listeri Sund. – – – – – + + + Tetragnatha montana Sim. – – – – – – + + T. pinicola L. K. – – – – + + + + ARANEIDAE Agalenatea redii (Scop.) + + + + + + – – Araneus alsine Walck. – – – – – – + + A. angulatus Cl. – – – – – + + – A. diadematus Cl. + + + + + + + + A. marmoreus Cl. – – – – + + + + A. quadratus Cl. + + + + + + + – Araniella cucurbitina (Cl.) – – – – + + + – Argiope bruennichi Scop. + + + + + + + – Cercidia prominens (Westr.) + + + + – – + + Cyclosa conica (Pall.) + + – + + + + + C. oculata (Walck.) + + – – – – – – Gibbaranea bituberculata – – – – – + + – (Walck.) Hypsosinga pygmaea (Sund.) + + – – – – – – H. sanguinea (C. L. K.) + + + + + + + – Larinioides patagiatus (Cl.) + – – + + + + – 1 erroneous identification. the specimen belongs to M. simplicitarsis (Simon, 1884) (NP, pers. com. 2011). 2 later it was described as Russocampus polchaninovae Thanasevitch, 2004 Mangora acalypha O. P.-C. + – – + + + + + Neoscona adianta (Walck.) + + + + + + + – Zilla diodia (Walck.) – – – – – – + – LYCOSIDAE Pardosa agrestis Westr. – – – – – + – – P. lugubris (Walck.) + + – + + + + + P. palustris (L.) + + + + + + + – P. pullata (Cl.) – + – + – – – – Tarentula aculeata (Cl.) + + + + + + + – T. pulverulenta (Cl.) + + + + + – – – T. sulzeri Pavesi – + – – + + + – T. trabalis (Cl.) + + + + + + + + Tricca lutetiana (Sim.) + + + + + + + + Trochosa ruricola (De Geer) + – + – – – – + T. terricola Thor. + + + + + + + + Xerolycosa miniata (C. L. K.) + + + + – – – – PISAURIDAE Pisaura mirabilis (Cl.) + + – – + + + – AGELENIDAE Agelena gracilens C. L. K. + + + + + + + – A. labyrinthica (Cl.) + + + + + + + + HAHNIIDAE Hahnia ononidum